Effects of 12 and 17 cmH2O positive end-expiratory pressure applied after alveolar recruitment maneuver on pulmonary gas exchange and compliance in isoflurane-anesthetized horses

Objective

To compare static compliance (C_st) and alveolar–arterial oxygen tension difference [P(a–a)O₂] between positive end-expiratory pressures (PEEP) of 7, 12 and 17 cmH₂O applied after an alveolar recruitment maneuver (RM) in isoflurane-anesthetized horses.

Effects of delayed serum separation and long-term storage on the measurement of thyroid hormones in equine blood samples

Studies were conducted to determine the effects of delaying the separation of serum from the clot and of long-term storage of serum samples on the measurement of thyroid hormones in blood from horses using a fluorescence polarization immunoassay. The measured concentrations of T3 and T4 were not affected by leaving serum on the clot for as long as 24 hours at room temperatures. Storage of serum for 19 to 22 months at -20 degrees C resulted in significant increases of measured T4, but not T3. These studies support previous work demonstrating that thyroid hormones are resistant to degradation, immunologically stable, and reasonably insensitive to potential problems of routine specimen handling when measured with an immunoassay.     

In vitro susceptibility patterns of Aspergillus and Fusarium species isolated from equine ulcerative keratomycosis cases in the midwestern and southern United States with inclusion of the new antifungal agent voriconazole

Objective  To evaluate and compare the in vitro susceptibility of Aspergillus and Fusarium spp. isolated from horses with ulcerative keratomycosis, address regional differences in equine keratomycosis isolates, and provide susceptibility data to update prior studies.
Animal studied  Fourteen horses with ulcerative keratomycosis.
Procedures  Banked fungal isolates from equine corneal ulcers (eight Aspergillus spp. and six Fusarium spp.) were identified at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. In vitro minimum inhibitory concentration and susceptibility to natamycin, fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, ketoconazole, and miconazole were determined for each isolate.
Results  Fungi were significantly more susceptible to voriconazole than to natamycin, itraconazole, fluconazole, and ketoconazole, but miconazole susceptibility did not differ significantly from voriconazole. Aspergillus spp. were most susceptible to voriconazole, miconazole, and itraconazole, which were significantly better to fluconazole and ketoconazole. Fusarium spp. susceptibility was greatest to natamycin and voriconazole and lowest to itraconazole and ketoconazole. Fusarium spp. were significantly less susceptible to itraconazole and ketoconazole compared to natamycin. No significant differences in susceptibility were found when isolates from Florida were compared with isolates from other states.
Conclusions and clinical relevance  Based on in vitro evidence, voriconazole appears to be the most effective antifungal for initial treatment of equine keratomycosis in the midwestern and southern United States. Results are comparable with previous studies in that isolated fungi from equine keratomycosis cases showed consistently poor susceptibility to fluconazole. Organisms isolated in different geographic locations of the midwestern and southern United States appeared to have similar patterns of antifungal susceptibility.     

What is your diagnosis? Marked hyperchloremia in a dog

Abstract: A 5‐year‐old neutered male Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was evaluated for a 3‐week history of progressive paresis. The dog had been receiving potassium citrate capsules to acidify urine for the past 2 years because of an earlier history of urolithiasis. Results of neurologic examination, spinal cord radiography, and magnetic resonance imaging of the skull and spinal cord revealed no lesions that could have accounted for the neurologic signs. The main abnormalities on a clinical chemistry profile were marked hyperchloremia (179 mmol/L, reference interval 108–122 mmol/L) and an anion gap of ?50.4 mmol/L (reference interval 16.3–28.6 mmol/L). Because of the severe hyperchloremia, serum bromide concentration was measured (400 mg/dL; toxic concentration >150 mg/dL; some dogs may tolerate up to 300 mg/dL). Analysis of the potassium citrate capsules, which had been compounded at a local pharmacy, yielded a mean bromide concentration of 239 mg/capsule. Administration of the capsules was discontinued and there was rapid resolution of the dog's neurologic signs. This case of extreme bromide toxicity, which apparently resulted from inadvertent use of bromide instead of citrate at the pharmacy, illustrates the importance of knowing common interferents with analyte methodologies and of pursing logical additional diagnostic tests based on clinical and laboratory evidence, even when a patient's history appears to rule out a potential etiology.     

Pulse pressure variation as a guide for volume expansion in dogs undergoing orthopedic surgery

Objective

To investigate whether pulse pressure variation (PPV) can predict fluid responsiveness in healthy dogs during clinical surgery.

Direct and indirect measurement of somatic cell count as indicator of intramammary infection in dairy goats

Background

Mastitis is the most important and costly disease in dairy goat production. Subclinical mastitis is common in goats and is mainly caused by contagious bacteria. Several methods to diagnose subclinical mastitis are available. In this study indirect measurement of somatic cell count (SCC) by California Mastitis Test (CMT) and direct measurement of SCC using a portable deLaval cell counter (DCC) are evaluated. Swedish goat farmers would primarily benefit from diagnostic methods that can be used at the farm. The purpose of the study was to evaluate SCC measured by CMT and DCC as possible markers for intramammary infection (IMI) in goats without clinical symptoms of mastitis. Moreover to see how well indirect measurement of SCC (CMT) corresponded to direct measurement of SCC (DCC).

Method

Udder half milk samples were collected once from dairy goats (n = 111), in five different farms in Northern and Central Sweden. Only clinically healthy animals were included in the study. All goats were in mid to late lactation at sampling. Milk samples were analyzed for SCC by CMT and DCC at the farm, and for bacterial growth at the laboratory.

Results

Intramammary infection, defined as growth of udder pathogens, was found in 39 (18%) of the milk samples. No growth was found in 180 (81%) samples while 3 (1%) samples were contaminated. The most frequently isolated bacterial species was coagulase negative staphylococci (CNS) (72% of all isolates), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (23% of all isolates). Somatic cell count measured by DCC was strongly (p = 0.000) associated with bacterial growth. There was also a very strong association between CMT and bacterial growth. CMT 1 was associated with freedom of IMI while CMT ≥2 was associated with IMI. Indirect measurement of SCC by CMT was well correlated with SCC measured by DCC.

Conclusions

According to the results, SCC measured with CMT or DCC can predict udder infection in goats, and CMT can be used as a predictor of the SCC.     

Measurement of Total Dietary Fiber Using AOAC Method 2009.01 (AACC International Approved Method 32‐45.01): Evaluation and Updates

The Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling recently recommended 14 methods for measurement of dietary fiber, eight of these being type I methods. Of these type I methods, AACC International Approved Method 32‐45.01 (AOAC method 2009.01) is the only procedure that measures all of the dietary fiber components as defined by Codex Alimentarius. Other methods such as the Prosky method (AACCI Approved Method 32‐05.01) give similar analytical data for the high‐molecular‐weight dietary fiber contents of food and vegetable products low in resistant starch. In the current work, AACCI Approved Method 32‐45.01 has been modified to allow accurate measurement of samples high in particular fructooligosaccharides: for example, fructotriose, which, in the HPLC system used, chromatographs at the same point as disaccharides, meaning that it is currently not included in the measurement. Incubation of the resistant oligosaccharides fraction with sucrase/β‐galactosidase removes disaccharides that interfere with the quantitation of this fraction. The dietary fiber value for resistant starch type 4 (RS₄), varies significantly with different analytical methods, with much lower values being obtained with AACCI Approved Method 32‐45.01 than with 32‐05.01. This difference results from the greater susceptibility of RS₄ to hydrolysis by pancreatic α‐amylase than by bacterial α‐amylase, and also a greater susceptibility to hydrolysis at lower temperatures. On hydrolysis of samples high in starch in the assay format of AACCI Approved Method 32‐45.01 (AOAC method 2009.01), resistant maltodextrins are produced. The major component is a heptasaccharide that is highly resistant to hydrolysis by most of the starch‐degrading enzymes studied. However, it is hydrolyzed by the maltase/ amyloglucosidase/isomaltase enzyme complex present in the brush border lining of the small intestine. As a consequence, AOAC methods 2009.01 and 2011.25 (AACCI Approved Methods 32‐45.01 and 32‐50.01, respectively) must be updated to include an additional incubation with amyloglucosidase to remove these oligosaccharides.